Rents are 9% below what Clarksville's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,372 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Clarksville usually run 0.7% below trend in January and 0.7% above it in August, about $19 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Clarksville is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in Clarksville changed +2.5% over the year to September 2026. Across the 51 Tennessee cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.0%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Clarksville rose 41.3% while median household income rose 29.3% ($53,604 to $69,303). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Clarksville is 40.7% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 5 months in a row, and rose in 9 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($69,303) is $1,733 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,300); a 3-bedroom is $1,753.
The priciest of 3 ZIP codes in Clarksville, 37043 ($1,477/mo), costs 13% more than the cheapest, 37040 ($1,303/mo).
Hopkinsville, KY, 25 miles away, rents for 25% less ($1,035/mo), about $4,000 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Clarksville. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Clarksville, TN is majority owner-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, 29.9% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Clarksville, TN has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Clarksville, TN has climbed by $291 per month, settling near $1,372 after starting the period at $1,081. Median household income grew from $58,838 to $69,303 between 2021 and 2024, a 17.8% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 9.1 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 163,518 to 176,456 between 2021 and 2024, a 7.9% change. Taken together, the five-year picture in Clarksville, TN reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Can you afford rent in Clarksville on your salary?
At $1,372/mo, how Clarksville rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Clarksville rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Clarksville. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Clarksville
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Clarksville is $1,372/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,027/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,300/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,080/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,753/mo.
At 24% of local median household income ($69,303/yr), Clarksville ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 2.5% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Is rent going up or down in Clarksville?
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How does Clarksville rent compare to other cities in Tennessee?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Clarksville?
At $1,372/mo, rent takes ~24% of Clarksville's median household income ($69,303/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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